The number of motor vehicles being stolen and/or vandalized in recent years has been on the rise. As a result, the interest in motor vehicle security has greatly increased. This increased, in turn, has been followed by a rise in the availability of a wide range of anti-theft devices.
At present, there are several types of commercially available anti-theft devices for motor vehicles. One such type utilizes an audible alarm system to startle the prospective thief and/or to warn any by-standers of an impending theft. Such a system uses delicate motion sensors to activate a loud sounding alarm when an above threshold motion is detected or when the system is interrupted. An example of such a system is the popular siren sounding system. Another similar system not only sounds out a loud message indicating that the car is being stolen and the thief should be stopped, but also takes a picture of the prospective thief.
However, there is one significant disadvantage in using a system that utilizes an audible alarm. Specifically, if the vehicle is parked in an isolated area having little or no pedestrian traffic, the loud sounding alarm will in no way deter or prevent the prospective thief from getting into the motor vehicle, turning off the alarm, and driving away with the motor vehicle.
Another type of anti-theft device utilizes a locking mechanism within the interior of the vehicle. For instance, there is currently available a locking mechanism for the vehicle's steering column. Another locking mechanism locks both the vehicle's steering column and brake pedal. These locking mechanisms may prevent a prospective thief from driving away with the vehicle when properly engaged. However, these mechanisms are often bulky, making them difficult and time consuming to secure and disengage. Moreover, because of their size, these mechanisms are usually inconvenient to store once they have been removed. As a result, these locking mechanisms are not employed on a regular basis to secure the vehicle against possible theft.
Other types of anti-theft devices exist, such as fuel cut-off devices, ignition cutoff devices, armored cabled hood locks and hydraulic brake locks.
With anti-theft devices which provide only one or two levels or critical points of protection like those indicated above, only a relatively short period of time is usually needed by a prospective thief to disengage the protective device. Thus, even with an anti-theft system that, for example, shuts off the ignition of the vehicle, once the thief has learned how to compromise the system, there is nothing to prevent him from stealing the vehicle.
Accordingly, it is highly desirable to have available an anti-theft system that is easy and convenient to use, provides several levels or critical points of protection, be difficult to compromise, and prevents the prospective thief from driving away with the vehicle.